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Missouri County
Clinton County, Missouri
Plattsburg's agricultural courthouse and the I-35 corridor - from Clinton County's position along the I-35 corridor between Kansas City and St. Joseph (a rapidly developing exurban corridor attracting residential and commercial development as both metros expand northward) to Plattsburg's courthouse serving a rolling northwest Missouri agricultural community of corn, soybeans, and cattle, and a county absorbing Kansas City metropolitan growth pressure.
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Office: Clinton County Emergency Management Agency – Plattsburg, MO; confirm current phone via clintoncomo.org.
Dispatch: Clinton County Sheriff’s Communications Unit – staffed 24/7, dispatches police, fire, and EMS countywide except for Cameron Police Department, which has its own dispatch.
Sheriff: Clinton County Sheriff’s Office – 207 N Main St, Plattsburg, MO 64477 | Non-emergency (816) 539-3777.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-35 and MO-169 serve Plattsburg, the county seat, part of the Kansas City metropolitan area; Cameron, the county’s largest city, sits at the junction of I-35 and MO-36 and calls itself the “Crossroads of the Nation.”
Notes: Clinton County, organized January 2, 1833, is named for DeWitt Clinton, Governor of New York; Plattsburg itself is named after the county seat of Clinton County, New York, which was named for the same governor. Roughly 21,200-21,700 residents across 423 square miles.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Clinton County Courthouse – 207 N. Main Street, Plattsburg, MO 64477.
Notes: The Clinton County Courthouse grounds feature a statue honoring David Rice Atchison, the Missouri senator famously nicknamed “President for a Day” for a widely repeated (though historically disputed) claim that he briefly served as U.S. President for 24 hours in March 1849 during a gap between administrations. Cameron is genuinely home to the Missouri Veterans Home – Cameron, which opened in 2000 on a 20-acre site donated by the city – the sixth veterans home established by the Missouri Veterans Commission, directly relevant to veteran residents of the region.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Clinton County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via clintoncomo.org.
Federal/State: Missouri Veterans Home – Cameron, a state-run long-term care facility for veterans, located in Cameron, MO.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Cameron Public Library – 205 North Main Street, Cameron, MO 64429 | (816) 632-2177; offers a Genealogy Department with newspapers and records for Clinton, DeKalb, Caldwell, and Daviess Counties. NOTE: as of 2024-2025, Clinton County (outside Cameron, which already supports its own city library) formed a new countywide Clinton County Library District via county commission action, with a tax levy proposed to voters in April 2025 – confirm current district status and any new library locations directly via clintoncountylibrary.org, as this service was still being established as of this writing.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Clinton County Courthouse grounds (with the David Rice Atchison statue) and community spaces in Cameron and Plattsburg are among the county’s attractions.
Notes: The genuine “President for a Day” Atchison legend and the recent formation of a new countywide library district are distinctive, current local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Clinton County Assessor – confirm current contact via clintoncomo.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Cameron Animal Control – (816) 632-2177.
Plattsburg Police Department (handles local animal control matters) – (816) 930-3777.
Confirm current countywide arrangements via clintoncomo.org or the Sheriff’s Office, (816) 539-3777.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Clinton County – confirm current contact via clintoncomo.org.
NOTES: Clinton County is the fifth county in the fourth batch of the Missouri v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine “President for a Day” Atchison legend and the county’s newly forming library district (2024-2025) are distinctive, timely local facts. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Clinton County
Clinton County is northwest Missouri’s I-35 corridor agricultural county – a rolling prairie community between Kansas City and St. Joseph absorbing suburban growth while maintaining its agricultural character.
Plattsburg (the county seat, population ~2,400) is a compact northwest Missouri courthouse town serving the surrounding agricultural community. The I-35 corridor’s commercial development has brought new businesses and residential growth to the county’s southern townships.
Lathrop (population ~2,300) near the I-35 corridor has attracted some of the county’s growth pressure from the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Clinton County’s agricultural production – corn, soybeans, and beef cattle – reflects the productive glacial till soils of northwest Missouri’s rolling prairie landscape.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Clinton County Assessor at 207 N. Main Street, Plattsburg, MO 64477, phone 816-539-3726. MO residential assessed at 19% of true value. Appeal to Board of Equalization.
Courts & Legal
Clinton County Circuit Court at 207 N. Main Street, Plattsburg, MO 64477, phone 816-539-3719, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
207 N. Main St., Plattsburg, MO 64477
(816) 539-3713
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Clinton County Circuit Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Clinton County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Clinton County Circuit Court, Probate Division 207 North Main Street (mail: P.O. Box 275), Plattsburg, MO 64477 (816) 539-3731 Clinton County is in northwestern Missouri, seated in Plattsburg.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Missouri probate is governed by Title XXXI of the Missouri Revised Statutes (Chapters 470-475), the Probate Code.
Small Estate Affidavit (RSMo § 473.097) – available when the entire estate, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $40,000. A 30-day waiting period after death applies, and only if no application for letters is pending. If the property listed is worth more than $15,000, the clerk must publish a notice to creditors in a newspaper of general circulation in the county. A bond may be required. Once the court issues a certified small estate certificate, the affiant presents it directly to whoever holds the property to collect and distribute assets – avoiding full probate. Typical timeline: about two months to close, versus six months to a year or more for full probate.
Formal Administration – required for larger or more complex estates. A petition for Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (without one) is filed with the probate division. After review, the court appoints the personal representative and issues the letters. Missouri offers both supervised and independent administration. Missouri requires an attorney to represent the personal representative in both types of administration.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File a petition with the Probate Division of the Circuit Court in the county where the decedent was domiciled.
The court appoints the personal representative and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative publishes a notice to creditors in a newspaper of general circulation in the county, and gives direct notice to known creditors. Creditors have 6 months from the date of first publication to file claims.
Within 30 days of appointment (unless the court extends the deadline), the personal representative files an inventory and appraisement of all estate assets.
After debts are paid and the creditor claim period expires, the personal representative distributes the remaining assets and files a final settlement with the court to close the estate.
What it costs
Missouri sets statutory minimum fees for attorneys and personal representatives based on a percentage of the estate’s value, though additional fees may be allowed for extraordinary services.
Missouri has no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax could apply, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
207 N. Main St., Plattsburg, MO 64477
(816) 539-2222
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
207 N. Main St., Plattsburg, MO 64477
(816) 539-3713
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MO Dept of Social Services — Clinton
(816) 539-2116
Cameron Regional Medical Center
cameronregional.org (Cameron — quality regional hospital serving Clinton County)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Clinton County Health Department – confirm current phone via clintoncomo.org.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Plattsburg
Population: 21,000
Area: 419 sq mi
Established: 1833
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Clinton County residents.
